Timber conveyer



F. BURNS TIMBER CONVEYER March 20, 1 928.

Filed. Feb. 17. 1927 IN V EN TOR iii/WW: Bali V Patented Mar. 20, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TIMBER converse.

Application filed February 17, 1927. Serial No. 169,081.

This invention relates to timber conveyers and has special reference to a timber conveyer peculiarly adapted for use in con veying' timber over dams.

One important object of the invention is to provide an improved timber conveyer whereby timber may be conveyed from a higher to a lower level of water in a stream without the need of locks.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which shall be ordinary in operation and which will convey the timber from the higher level to a point on the lower level remote from the top of the .dam between such higher and lower levels. i y

A still further important object of the invention is to provide improved means for enabling the timber to be thus conveyed without appreciable loss of head in the upper level of the stream.

Another important object of the invention is to handle from one to eight pieces of timber abreast thereby resulting in a great saving in labor costs in handling timber.

lVith the above and other objects in view as will be hereinafter apparent, the inven tion consists in general of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifi cally claimed.

In the accompanying drawings like characters of reference indicate like parts in the several views, and:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a conveyor con-' structed in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2 is a section on the line 22 thereof.

Figure 3 is a detail to enlarged scale showing a portion of the first or spiked roller.

Figure 4 is a detail to enlarged scale showing a portion of the second or grooved roller.

The invention as herein disclosed has been shown as applied to the spillway of a dam, this spillwa-y having side walls 10 and being provided with a pocket 11 extending across its crest between the side walls. Ledges 12 extend along the sides of this pocket against the side walls and supported on these ledges are bearings 13 arranged in alined pairs so that they may support the journals of a primary roller 14 anda sec ondary roller 15. These rollers rest in the pocket with the tops thereof pro ectmg slightly above the crest of the dam, the primary roller being lower than the secondary roller. This primary roller is provided with a multip ieity of sharpspikes 16 for engagement of a log 17 shown in dotted lines. One of the journals of each roller extends through a suitable stuffing box 18 in a side wall 10 andmounted on the (ex tended journal is a sprocket wheel 19, the two sprocket Wheels being connected bya chain 20. The journal for one of these roll as, as the primary roller 14, is provided with a belt pulley 21 so that it may be driven by machinery. The secondary roller is preferably grooved to provide ribs.

With this construction a log moving down the stream engages the roller 14, the spikes of which grip the log so that as this roller is driven by a suitable motor the log is conveyed by the roller down stream and the down stream end, at the same time, is slight 1y lifted so that it engages the secondary roller 15 and is then delivered over the crest of the dam.

However, much injury would be done the dam and the foundation beyond the crest if such log was allowed to drop freely at this point and to obviate this injury the walls 10 are continued down stream and are provided with ledges 22 whereon are arranged alined pairs of bearings 23 supporting the journals of ordinary conveyor rollers 24. The ledges 22 are inclined downwardly in the down stream direction so that the rollers 24 form a downwardly inclined series. It is to be noted that the last of these rollers is preferably located beyond the lower' end of the dam structureand where the water is sufliciently deep so that logs delivered from this last roller will not dig into the bottom of the stream as they pass off. One of these rollers has its shaft 25 extending through the side wall and is connected by a sprocket chain 26 with a sprocket 27 mounted on a jack shaft 28 suitably supported in bearings 29. On this jack shaft is also a sprocket 30 which is connected by a sprocket chain 31 with a. sprocket 32 fixed on the shaft of the secondary roller. Thus the conveyor below the clam, which may be preferably termed the tail conveyer, may not only deliver the logs by gravity but may be assisted by its connection with the belt pulley 21 through the sprocket arrangement just described.

, It will now be seen that after the logs pass the secondary roller 15 they will be conveyed tom of the stream adjacent this structure.

There has thus been provided a simple and eflicient device of the kind described and for the purpose specified.

It is obvious that minor changes may be made in the form and construction of the invention without departing from the material spirit thereof. It is not, therefore, desired to confine the invention to the exact form herein shown and described, but it is desired to include all such as properly come within the scope claimed.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is: i

1. The combination with a dam having a crest, of a plurality opt conveyer rollers extending across a portion of the dam on the up stream side of the lower edge of said crest, and a downwardly inclined tail conveyer on the down stream side of said crest, one of said conveyer rollers and the tail conveyer being operatively connected.

2. The combination with a dam having a crest, of a plurality of conveyer rollers extending across a portion of the dam on the up stream side of the lower edge of said crest, and a downwardly inclined tail conveyer on the down stream side of said crest;

one of said conveyerrollers and the tail conveyer being operatively connected, the initial 1 pocket and extending thereacross, the up stream roller of said pair being lower than the down stream roller of the pair and the upper parts of said rollers projecting above the crest, a tail conveyer on the down stream side of said crest and including a down-W wardly inclined series of spaced conveyer rollers, gearing connecting the first two rollers to cause them to move in unison, gearing connecting one of the first two rollers with a roller of the tail conveyer, and means to drive one of the first two rollers.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

FRANK BURNS. 

